Thursday’s second round of the draft, for example, already saw the Denver Nuggets send three future second-round picks to Charlotte to move Reggie Jackson’s $5.2 million salary. It’s a move that should open up needed flexibility for Denver as NBA personnel prepare to make an exit via free agency for Nuggets swingman Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, as the veteran declined a $15.4 million player option on Thursday. Had done it.
There are several other important player option and contract guarantee decisions coming up in the next 48 hours, perhaps none more important than Paul George’s $48.7 million option to remain with the Clippers — which he could potentially decline and trade on the open market. Caldwell-Pope may be involved. Another wing player who should be a consideration in that mix of perimeter talents, Brandon Ingram, is expected to be available for a trade to New Orleans if Ingram is represented and the Pelicans front-runner, league sources told Yahoo Sports. The office fails to find a long-term extension deal before Ingram enters the final year of his current contract in 2024-25.
David Griffin told reporters after Wednesday night’s first round that the Pelicans hope to retain Ingram and that Ingram wants to stay with New Orleans. However, the Pelicans have never paid the luxury tax, and New Orleans will likely have to draw the line at some threshold below Ingram’s maximum potential salary.
Sources said Ingram is listed among Philadelphia’s targets this offseason, somewhere below George, though it’s not exactly clear where Ingram ranks among Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey in the Sixers’ proverbial group of wing targets. Is in place. If George rejects Philadelphia, the Sixers could easily acquire Ingram for more than $60 million in cap space, but could Philly’s three first-round picks prove to be enough for Ingram?
Cleveland continues to be mentioned as a possible option for Ingram by league personnel, but there is no direct path to making such a deal with the Cavaliers. While Cleveland is interested in Ingram and values his skills, sources said, Cavs personnel remain reluctant to break up the team’s core of Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, as NBA figures. Mitchell continues to prepare to make an attractive signing. Expansion. It’s difficult to find a way to bring Ingram to Northeast Ohio without parting with Allen, who has long been on New Orleans’ radar. (Another center the Pelicans had their eye on, Nets big man Nick Claxton, is now committed to Brooklyn for four more years at $100 million.) Cleveland doesn’t want to part ways with Garland, even though sources said. He is represented in the clutch game as he attempts to further his business.
Atlanta is another popular landing spot that league figures have pointed to for Ingram, but there have been no concrete talks between the Hawks and Pelicans, sources said, as both teams have traded for Dejounte Murray before the February trade deadline. Trade scenarios were discussed in this regard. Atlanta was solely focused on locating its No. 1 pick in this week’s draft, and then the Hawks were determined to trade up in the second round, sources said, because Atlanta ultimately came away with Nikola Juricic. Sources said the Hawks are now definitely expected to assess trade possibilities for Murray, All-Star guard Trae Young, Clint Capela and the rest of their roster players not named Jalen Johnson and Zackary Reascher . In addition to the Spurs and Lakers, league sources told Yahoo Sports that Young has the Pelicans in mind as potential next teams, but there is no sense of Young being a fit for the situation in New Orleans, where the backcourt currently features C.J. McCallum is present.
One team to monitor Ingram will be Sacramento. The Kings are considering avenues to acquire various wings, from Kyle Kuzma to Zach LaVine, and Ingram could be another option for Sacramento, sources said. The Kings have veteran wings Harrison Barnes and Kevin Huerter, whom Sacramento placed on the trade market at the last deadline, and their two salaries combined to meet Ingram’s $36 million expiration number for 2024-25, sources said. Almost a perfect match.
Utah’s next steps
The Jazz could have more than $40 million in cap space, plus veteran salaries like John Collins and Jordan Clarkson, and a stockpile of future draft capital, allowing them to add any player on the market from Ingram to George. That’s why Utah made its way into the Mikal Bridges sweepstakes before the Nets ultimately sent their 27-year-old wing to New York, sources said.
The Jazz find themselves in a similar situation to Brooklyn before Bridges left: a non-competitive roster with a 27-year-old centerpiece on a value contract that had interest from the entire league. In Utah, that will be Lauri Markkanen, who has already been named an All-Star opposite Bridges and will enter the final year of his contract if he doesn’t get an extension with Utah in the coming days and weeks. At this point, the Jazz are expected to prioritize an extension deal with Markkanen, sources said, and Utah officials have made that clear during their approach to Bridges. That won’t stop rival teams from calling and registering their interest in Markkanen, with the expectation that Utah might decide to punt like Brooklyn did — if the Jazz are able to secure someone close to another star for Markkanen. Not there.
Utah clearly looks opportunistic. The Jazz and Hawks had substantive discussions about Murray at the trade deadline, sources said. Beyond handling the Markkanen situation, what big moves could ultimately come from Utah this summer could present one of the more interesting situations of the NBA offseason.
Meanwhile, the Nets are considered open to trading on veterans like Cam Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith, sources said, even after re-signing Claxton.
The Bucks are still being mentioned by league personnel as a team to watch on the trade market. Milwaukee was able to draft a potential center of the future in Tyler Smith with the No. 33 pick in Thursday’s second round. Smith could perhaps help replace Brook Lopez as soon as this season if Milwaukee does indeed part ways with their veteran center who is about to enter the final year of his contract. Pat Connaughton and Bobby Portis’ names have also been mentioned as trade candidates, sources said.
The Warriors have another interesting math problem to figure out. Golden State has reportedly agreed to increase Chris Paul’s guaranteed money for the 2024-25 season by pushing back the team’s original deadline to retain his $30 million salary for the upcoming year. Golden State had already guaranteed Kevon Looney’s $8 million after Gary Payton II exercised his $9.1 million player option. All three of those players and swingman Andrew Wiggins are considered potential outgoing contracts for the Warriors, as Golden State attempts to reshape a competitive roster around Stephen Curry.
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